|
|
Absolut Panushka, Jan-Apr 1997.
Stop Motion
William Moritz
Stop motion is a term used to describe the single-frame filming of live or inanimate objects. "Pixillation" is the term used to describe animating people, while "time lapse" refers to animating environments.
In stop-motion photography, the camera is positioned in a fixed place, and the subject is filmed one frame at a time. With "pixillation," people are usually posed for each shot to simulate some trick or special effect that could not be achieved with the camera running at "live action" speed (24 frames per second). A person can appear to move across a room without taking a step by using this technique. "Time lapse" is often used to speed up sunsets, clouds moving across the sky or flowers blooming. The effect is achieved by photographing one frame every five minutes (or over some other fixed time interval).
Puppet and clay animators use stop-motion photography. Puppets are carefully placed on a stage with the camera and background elements in locked positions. One or two frames are shot, and then the puppet is re-positioned, with great care given not to move any of the background elements. Thus through a long process of carefully planned incremental movements, a puppet comes to life on film.
Clay shapes and figures are animated the same way. "Claymation" refers to the type of animation which primarily uses clay to create the puppets and environments for that film.
Moritz, William. "History of Experimental Animation." Website. Absolut Panushka, curated by Christine Panushka. (Jan-Apr 1997).
|
|